Taiwanese student looks to make plea bargain over shooting threat

Media, Pennsylvania, April 24 (CNA) The lawyer hired by Sun Peng (孫鵬) and Di Ying (狄鶯) to defend their 18-year-old son, An Tso Sun (孫安佐), who is accused of threatening to carry out a mass shooting at his school in the United States, is reportedly willing to enter into a plea bargain with prosecutors.

Although a court hearing is still scheduled for Wednesday, according to a schedule released Tuesday by the Delaware County District Court in Pennsylvania, Upper Darby police superintendent Michael Chitwood told a CNA reporter that attorney Robert Keller is planning to waive the right to the hearing, adding that the case is now expected to be resolved through a plea bargain.

The hearing was pushed back from April 11 to Wednesday, the district court announced on its website earlier this month.

Sun has been held in custody at Delaware County Jail since his March 26 arrest on suspicion of threatening to carry out a mass shooting on May 1 at Monsignor Bonner Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School.

He has been charged with making "terroristic threats" and possessing "instruments of crime," according to the offense information published by the district court.

The Upper Darby Police reported at a press conference on April 2 that Sun built a 9mm handgun with parts bought online and had more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition for various firearms.

Sun is being held at Delaware County Prison in lieu of US$100,000 bail that his parents declined to pay, according to international media reports.

His parents arrived in the United States March 30 and visited their son at the prison on April 2.